Yanukovych Holds Informal Talks With Putin In Sochi

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (file photo)

SOCHI, Russia -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is in the southern Russian city of Sochi for informal talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Yanukovych arrived on May 26 for discussions centered on bilateral relations within the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Yanukovych praised the work being done in Sochi to prepare for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Putin said that he works on the project "practically every day."

Both Putin and Yanukovych plan to attend the Eurasian Economic Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 28-29.

Ukraine is seeking observer status in the Eurasian Customs Union (ECU), which unites Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

Russia has been pushing Kyiv to join the union outright, although Ukrainian Prime Minister Mikola Azarov said in April that ECU members had agreed to grant Ukraine observer status.